THIS CALL IS BEING RECORDED, SAN QUENTIN PART 2

The Hustler Files with Lisa Reilly - Stories That Challenge What You Thought You Knew

Every incarcerated person knows the exact date and time of their parole hearing, even if it’s years in the future. For Chan Park, his first parole hearing took place after 13 years, 8 months of incarceration. His rejection by the Parole Board because he hadn’t served enough time. That was the first of what would be three more parole hearings over the next 20 years, four in total. All ended in rejection. One can only wonder how Chan kept his hopes alive. Despite his well-laid out parole plans, his exemplary prison record, his many certifications in a variety of vocational trainings, nothing would circumvent the three-hour interrogations by the Parole Board and their decisions administered in only 30 minutes. Chan would not be released. Yet, Chan stays hopeful. He continues to tweak his parole plan and contribute to the progressiveness of San Quentin, sitting on one of the newly formed, internal Advisory Councils created by Governor Newsom. At the end of the day, no matter what, he says, ‘when you’ve served 3 or 4 or 5 decades, sometimes the only person you have left to talk to is God, and that goes a long way’. Chan is scheduled for his next parole hearing in May 2026. He is hopeful he can reschedule it to sometime this year, in 2025.